School district staff are often asked to provide Stanford 9 scores for all of their schools, as parents and guardians explore their options for educational choice.
While achievement test scores are important to consider, they should not be the sole factor in deciding which school a child should attend.
Do Your Homework: Research Schools
The Stanford 9 scores that parents receive reflect the average score for all of the students in a particular school. Most school districts can demonstrate that in schools with high average scores and schools with low average scores, students who remain in the same school for an entire year have similar levels of academic growth. In other words, no matter what the school average, individual students usually show comparable growth in both high-performing and low-performing schools.There are other steps parents/guardians can take to select the best school to meet their children’s educational needs. First, evaluate the unique learning needs of your child. Determine the general criteria and type of school experience you want for your child, such as academic and arts programs, gifted programs, athletics, location, available transportation and extracurricular opportunities. Next, research the schools that seem to interest you the most. Check with the local school district in person and visit the home page on the Internet. Ask to look at recent copies of the school report card, a parent/student handbook and a school newsletter and seek information about the school’s parent organizations. Ask if there is another parent with whom you can visit. Find out if the school conducts a customer satisfaction survey and ask for a copy of the results.
